Julie Williams

Dear Friends, Family and Supporters,

I want to thank you all for your continual prayers over the past week. I have felt the comfort and the power of your prayers as you lifted Caitlyn and me up to the Lord. I was overwhelmed this morning when I was finally able to check my email and I saw how many people had written. Your words have been so encouraging.

God truly was merciful in protecting us during Hurricane Dean. Last Friday school was released early, and the teachers and staff were able to prepare the school building. Then Erica and I spent the weekend and the day Monday preparing our house. Our house sits just a few blocks from the bay, and we were worried about flooding. Also, the majority of our wooden louvers didn’t shut at all. We spent the weekend sanding the shutters and screwing in wooden frames to all our windows with thick plastic on them. We also packed up everything inside the house in plastic bags and put tarps over them as well. It was quite a job, and we were exhausted by the time all the preparation was over. It wasn’t until Monday that most of the Belizeans began preparing. I don’t think it was until then that it really started to sink in that the storm was coming our way- and fast. The bands of rain started coming during the afternoon Monday. Erica and I were still working on putting up plastic at this point. We had no ladder for most of the time, so we were climbing up the burglar bars and using them as ladders. We were a sight for sore eyes, and I kept asking Erica where in the world our husbands were. :)

Monday night, after all the work was done at our house, we went to our team leader’s, Marc Summers, house to stay. His house is about a mile further from the water and sits up on a hill. There were 15 people staying at the house, and we were all camped out wherever we could find space. We began to get strong winds about 1:30 a.m. and lost power then too. For the next five hours we were hit with heavy rains and winds. The Summers’ house is cement, and we felt extremely safe there. Upstairs, from the backside of the house, we could look out the windows and watch the storm. It was an incredible display of God’s power. The winds were strong and the trees bent. At one point, the rain cistern from the roof was blown off into the yard below. Through all this I felt at peace knowing that God was in control of the storm and that this storm was, in fact, His creation.

Once it became light on Tuesday morning we were able to really see the damage that had taken place. The Summers’ yard had a good bit of standing water, and they had lost some palm trees and had a lot of limbs down. We loaded up in the team van and drove into the town. It was shocking to see the damage. The power lines were all down and looked as though someone had gathered them together and tied them in a huge knot. There were many houses without roofs, where the tin had been pealed off. As we got closer to the bay there were more houses that were flooded. There were people pulling out their furniture and belongings and just setting them in their front yard. I was overwhelmed at the debris and damage. We drove to our house and found that it had faired well. Our large metal gate in the front yard had been ripped off and was in the neighbors’ yard next door. There was a bit of water that had come in one side of the house, but other than that things were fine. Erica and I were so thankful for the protection God had granted us.

Life since Tuesday has been interesting. It took us a solid day of work to put our house back together. Our yard was full of debris, and there was plenty of work to be done. There was no electricity or running water, which made everything take a lot more time. Our neighbor next door had a rain water cistern and was generous enough to share with us. We would haul water to our backyard and wash dishes on the cement slab in our backyard. Caitlyn, my little sister, commented that the days consisted around cooking, washing dishes and then cooking for the next meal. It was amazing how much time it took just to complete small tasks. Caitlyn was a great help though. We spent one morning just washing clothes by hand on the front porch. Our biggest ministry has been cooking food for the neighbors. There were 15 people in our living room Thursday night eating dinner. We all sat around by candle light eating and fellowshipping. I once again humbled by the positive attitudes these people have even after loosing so much.

Things in Corozal are being put back together surprisingly fast. Everyone has been working together to clean up the trees and help those who are without homes. The power trucks have been working diligently at fixing the wires and trying to restore power. Last night power was restored to the hospital and the surrounding area. This area is where Marc and Sam Summers live which means they now have power and the ability for us to email. In the beginning they said it would be two weeks before we got power down where we live. We will see though. We are praying it may be sooner. Most days we have been able to go and purchase ice in order to keep some things cold. Yesterday, Caitlyn and I stood in line for two hours waiting for the truck to come with ice. After this long wait it showed up- empty. God continues to teach me patience.

Caitlyn and I were able to go and visit the villages yesterday. I was amazed to see the way God truly spared people and their lives. The students that I do Bible study with on Saturday nights live in a wooden house with a stick structure in the back over the kitchen. Everything was still standing. Praise the Lord! The secretary and janitor from our school lost the roof of their house and all of their belongings were ruined by water. Everyone is working together though to get them back on their feet and going again.

This Monday the teachers will all be meeting at the school to discuss when school will begin again. I drove past school yesterday, and there are so many trees down. I didn’t go inside, so I have no idea how much damage there is relative to flooding. The amount of work that needs to be done there is overwhelming. After our meeting on Monday we will decide when school will go back into session. It will probably be at least another week before the school is in the order it needs to be to have classes.

Through all of this I have continually been reminded of the awesome power of our God. He truly is in control of all things. He was merciful towards us in this storm, and we were blessed beyond belief. Please pray that God will continue to use us to minister to those here in Corozal and the villages. There are more needs than ever, and it is somewhat overwhelming. I am encouraged to see people coming together to help one another. I am reminded again of the importance of community and relationships.

I am sorry that I am not able to individually respond to many of your emails. Once full power is restored I will try to write you all back. Thank you again for your prayers, email, phone calls and words of encouragement. What an awesome God we serve!

Blessings,

Julie Williams

Email: JWilliams9586@hotmail.com
Phone: 011-501-605-9936
MTW Personal Webpage: http://www.mtwla.org/people/jwilliams.htm
Address: P.O. Box 232 Corozal Town, Belize Central America